Patient lived nine months with a pig kidney before receiving a human transplant
Five patients at Massachusetts General Hospital in the United States have successfully undergone transplants of genetically modified pig kidneys, and the success of the operations could help resolve the crisis in transplant medicine.
This was reported by the Financial Times.
According to the American biotechnology company eGenesis, in three of the five patients the organs functioned for more than eight months without rejection or the need for dialysis.
As eGenesis clinical trials head Leonardo Riella noted, the shortage of organs is considered the most serious crisis facing transplant medicine. According to him, at first animal organs will be used «as a means allowing patients to give up dialysis while waiting for a human donor kidney.» At the same time, Riella allowed that in the future they could be used as a standalone therapy, if the method confirms its safety and durability.
«Our goal is to make transplantation available to patients when they need it, without being limited by the finite supply of human donor organs,» emphasized eGenesis head Mike Curtis.
Kidneys from genetically modified miniature pigs were used for the transplants. Scientists removed three proteins capable of causing rejection and added seven human genes to improve compatibility. In addition, viruses that could be transmitted to humans were deactivated.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has allowed eGenesis to expand testing of the technology to 33 patients with kidney failure. The trials are due to begin in early 2027 at ten transplant centers in the United States. The company expects to obtain approval for use of the technology by the end of 2029.
The first transplant of a genetically modified pig kidney into a human in the United States took place in March 2024 in the United States. However, in May of that year the 62-year-old patient died. A hospital statement said the man's death was not a result of the procedure performed. In January 2025, the first successful transplant of a genetically modified pig kidney was carried out in the United States. Before the operation, scientists made 69 changes to its genome, which were meant to make the organ more compatible with the human body. As a result, the operation helped a 66-year-old man with severe kidney failure live without dialysis for nine months. During that time, doctors waited for a suitable human kidney and performed a second transplant, writes Hi-Tech Mail, citing a study first published in the journal The Lancet.
In June of this year, the South China Morning Post reported how researchers in China transplanted pig kidneys and a liver into a man diagnosed with brain death. This was the first transplant in history of several pig organs into a human at once, the publication specified.
